The Nation Newspaper

Tag: South Africa

  • South Africa mission, Southern Sun celebrate Mandela

    South African Mission in Nigeria, South Africa Tourism (SAT) and Southern Sun Hotel, Ikoyi joined force this year to mark the year’s Mandela Day and the birthday of former South African President Nelson Mandela.

    The International Mandela Day is celebrated to make a difference by encouraging people to devote 67 minutes of their time to undertake tasks that would bring joy and relief to the needy in the communities, thus contributing towards changing the world for better.

    In commemorating the centenary of Nelson Mandela, the  mission in partnership with the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) and the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) hosted a lecture. The mission also collaborated with the Mandela Garden, Asaba, Delta State to plant five new trees to add to the 95 already there to have 100 trees. It also engaged in the 67-minute charity work, handed over food parcels at an orphanage in Asaba.

    This year’s celebration theme was  “Be the Legacy”. Mandela would have turned 100 should he had been alive.  Madiba, as Mandela was affectionately called, was well known and respected globally as a symbol of the struggle against apartheid and all forms of racism, the icon and the hero of African liberation.

    Mandela has been called a freedom fighter, a great man, global icon and a living legend amongst other countless other names. He had been an activist, political prisoner, South Africa’s first democratically elected president, an international peacemaker and statesman and Nobel Peace Prize winner.

    As a husband and a father, Mandela sacrificed the joys of family life and of seeing his children grow up. As a young man, he missed out on normal life spent with family members and friends to fight for the cause he unshakably stood for. Most ordinary South Africans knew little about Mandela during his prison years, as the apartheid government suppressed information, and what was released was biased. Limited information about Mandela was available from the international press, anti-apartheid activist groups and Free Mandela Campaign.

    Celebrating Mandela Centenary provides a unique opportunity for people around the world to not only reflect on Mandela’s life and times, but also uphold values and principles that he steadfastly stood for, including his vision of a democratic, just and equitable society.

    Meanwhile, Southern Sun Hotel, Ikoyi, in upholding Madiba’s legacy of “making the world a better place” joined the rest of the world in livening the hearts of the under privileged with a corporate social responsibility visit to its adopted charity, The Arrows of God Orphanage in Ajah, Lagos, all in celebration of the centenary birthday of Nelson Mandela. In doing so, Southern Sun, Ikoyi donated many items, including educational textbooks, activity books, toys, educational games and inspirational books to the children at the care home.

    Adopted as the official charity of Southern Sun Ikoyi for over nine  years till date, support to the orphanage is in line with the hotel’s tradition of significantly contributing to the growth, development and service to all within its community.

  • EDMARK holds first-ever cashless exhibition in Lagos

    …to Promote Entrepreneurship in Nigeria with Two Million Dollar

    …unveil Mobile Payment Application

    A Multinational Health Wellness and anti-obesity firm, EDMARK International Group of Company on Thursday held the first ever cashless product exhibition in Nigeria tagged “CASHLESS SHOPPING BAZZAR” aimed at promoting transparency, accountability, customers’ satisfaction, stress reduction and risk associated with physical movement of cash to in and out of her outlets across the federation.

    The bazaar exhibition which took place at the yet-to-be commissioned newly completed Corporate headquarters of the company situated at Aromire Avenue, Ikeja was attended by the company’s distributors popularly known as Crown and Double Crown Managers and several private Business Men and Women including financial institutions who came to display their products and services with only the newly invented mobile application of the firm called ED-POINT accepted as means of payment instead of cash.

    Invented by ED2E, a subsidiary of the EDMARK International, ED-POINT is a mobile application that can be downloaded from goggle or apple play stores by iphone and android phones users. The mobile payment platform which started in Philippine in 2016 has now been moved to five African countries namely Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria.

    Speaking with news men on the features of the mobile payment platform and the ongoing cashless bazaar which ends today, The Founder/Chairman of the EDMARK Group of Company, Mr. Sam Low said “EDPOINT is a Mobile application that needs to be loaded as currencies in order to avoid the use of physical cash for payments in all the branches across the federation.

    He said “once the app is loaded, it can be used to purchase our products from our distributors. The App can be reloaded in any of the EDMARK branches across Nigeria. We are of the believe that the new development will make transactions to be fast, user friendly and also for reduce risk associated with movement of cash and promote transparency and accountability and also to make our relationship with our over 450, 000 distributors easy and productive.

    Read Also: How to preserve Lagos, by experts

    Low, a Philippine citizen who claimed that his firm has invested over $5billion in Nigeria in the last 10 years, also announced that his company is currently working out a measure that will promote entrepreneurship in Nigeria with about $2milliom through Information Technology, Health and Real Estate.

    “I started entrepreneurship on the street of Malaysia as a Street hawker, today; I sit over a firm with about $20billion investment in 17 countries of the world. I wasn’t lucky to have people to mentor me but I want to offer the young people of Nigeria what I was not lucky to be offered yet I succeeded. I am committed to abolishing poverty in Nigeria through Information Technology< Health and Real Estate.” Low said in an emotion-laden speech.

    The Chief Operating Officer of EDMARK International who also doubles as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ED2E, Mr. Marc Camaligan said that the application is outstanding because it has reload features with 5% bonus. He said the company diverted from traditional to technological method of payment because their distributors are becoming isolated from the global best practices.

    Some of the company’s Crown Managers and participants who graced the cashless bazaar and products exhibition in an interview with our correspondent expressed joy and happy over the new innovation.

    To Mr. David T. Obinwizu, a Double Crown Manager at EDMARK International, the new mobile platform will afford him and his colleagues a golden opportunity to showcase their businesses and sell their products with an amazing ease without the use of cash. He said it is an opportunity for distributors to maximize profit and reduce stress of going to banks to make deposit and withdrawal cash.

    Another participant, Christiana Begusa who came to the exhibition center for shopping said the mobile app is designed in such a way that a low-cadre education person can make use of it and that it is data friendly and it can switch on with limited internet connection.

    The cashless bazaar and exhibition had several products for sale ranging from clothes, shoes, all EDMARK products, provisions, inspirational books, hair accessories etc using the EDPOINT mobile application.

  • ‘Prosecute killers of Nigerians in South Africa’

    NIGERIANS in South Africa have demanded for justice over the recent killings their members in the country.

    President of Nigerian Union in South Africa, Mr. Adetola Olubajo, who made the demand, urged the South African authorities to arrest and prosecute those involved in the dastardly act.

    He blamed the incessant killings of Nigerians in South Africa on lack of prosecution of offenders.

    “Lack of prosecution of these criminal activities has actually emboldened a lot of people to feel that they can kill Nigerians without any consequence,” Odubajo said.

    He expressed concern that the South African authorities’ apathy to arrest and prosecute the killers has made the situation more complex.

    “People are emboldened to perpetrate the crime with impunity and without consequences, because of lack of prosecution.

    “When there are no arrests, no prosecutions, criminals will have effrontery to go into crime without fear of retribution.

    “What we are demanding is that whosoever commits any crime should be prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others,” he said.

    Olubajo also urged Nigerian and South African authorities to work together to address the situation and reduce criminal activities against Nigerians in South Africa.

    He, however, called Nigerians in South Africa to be law-abiding and shun every criminal activity.

    Killings of Nigerians had been on the increase in South Africa.

    The latest was the assassination of Mr. Martin Ebuzoeme by unknown assailant in Yeoville, Johannesburg on July 12.

    The killing came barely 24 hours after the visit of South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa to Nigeria.

    Ramaphosa had during his visit on July 11 said the killing of Nigerians and other foreign nationals in the country was an act of criminality, but not specifically targeted at Nigerians.

    Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa had also expressed concern over the killings.

    Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa stated that no fewer than 117 Nigerians were extra-judicially killed in South Africa between 2013 and 2018 for one flimsy reason or the other.

  • Buhari to sign Continental Free Trade Agreement soon

    Criminals behind killings of Nigerians – Ramaphosa

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday disclosed that he will soon sign the Continental Free Trade Agreement.

    He made the disclosure during joint briefing at the end of South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    According to him, he is still studying the agreement.

    Read Also: Buhari, South African President meet in Aso Rock

    But he noted that he is careful about what he signs and that many Nigerian industries that will provide jobs for the teeming Nigerian youths are still coming up and would not be exposed to unfavorable competition.

    Answering questions on the frequent killings of Nigerians in South Africa, Ramaphosa said that there was no intentional killings of Nigerians.

    According to him, what led to the killings were acts of criminality, which his administration is determined to end.

  • Plane crash in South Africa injures 20 – emergency services

    An aircraft crashed outside South Africa’s capital Pretoria on Tuesday, injuring 20 people.

    At least one of them is in a critical condition, emergency medical services ER24 said on Tuesday.

    Read Also:Court summons Zuma’s son over fatal car crash

    ER24 posted a picture on its Twitter feed of passengers being helped out of a plane downed in a field.

    It is thought to have happened in the residential neighbourhood of Derdepoort in Pretoria, close to Wonderboom Airport.

    NAN

     

     

  • Presidency worried over killing of another Nigerian in South Africa

    SENIOR Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa is  disturbed by the killing of another Nigerian in South Africa.

    The Nigeria Mission in South Africa yesterday confirmed the killing of Mr. Ozumba Tochukwu-Lawrence by an unknown gunman.

    The Nigeria Consulate-General in South Africa said the ugly incident occurred at 10 Koppe, Middleburg, Mpumalanga, South Africa, on July 6.

    The mission said Lawrence, who  was shot six times by his assailant, died before reaching the hospital.

    Dabiri-Erewa, in message to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, described the killing as unfortunate.

    She said further enquiry over the issue should be directed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

    Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa expressed disappointment over an early warning signal put in place by both ministries, which she said had not been implemented.

    She stated that no fewer than 117 Nigerians were extra-judicially killed in South Africa between 2016 and 2018 for one flimsy reason or the other.

    She said many more had followed since then.

    The killing of Nigerians in South Africa had been on the increase in recent times.

     

  • Presidency worries over killing of another Nigerian in S. Africa

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has expressed worry over the killing of another Nigerian in South Africa.

    The Nigeria Mission in South Africa had on Sunday confirmed the killing of Mr Ozumba Tochukwu-Lawrence, by an unknown gunman in the country.

    The Nigeria Consulate-General in South Africa said that the ugly incident was said to have occurred at 10 Koppe, Middleburg, Mpumalanga, South Africa, on July 6.

    The mission said that Lawrence was shot six times by his assailant and died before reaching hospital.

    Dabiri-Erewa in short message sent to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja described the recent killing as unfortunate.

    She said that further enquiry over Nigeria issue with South Africa should be directed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

    ”All enquiries should be directed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama  who has vowed to take decisive action with the new Foreign Affairs Minister in South Africa.”

    Dabiri-Erewa expressed disappointment over an early warning signal put in place by both ministries, which she said, had still not been implemented.

    She stated that no fewer than 117 Nigerians were extra-judicially killed in South Africa between 2016 and 2018 for one flimsy reason or the other.

    She said that many more had followed since then.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that killing of Nigerians in South Africa had been on the increase in recent times.

    Before the latest one, there was the assassination of ThankGod Okoro, who was reportedly shot dead in Hamburg, Florida West Rand, Johannesburg, on April 9, 2018, by the South African Police Flying Squad.

    There was also the killing of Clement Nwaogu in April, a father of two who was burnt to death by his assailant.

    These wanton killings of Nigerians in South Africa had sparked a number of protests there.

    For demanding justice on behalf of their fallen compatriots, 14 of the protesters were taken into custody and branded drug peddlers.

  • Volkswagen opens Rwanda’s first car plant

    Rwanda’s first domestically built car rolled off the assembly line at Volkswagen’s new factory in Kigali on Wednesday as Europe’s biggest carmaker taps into demand for ride-sharing to expand in the region.

    Volkswagen’s South Africa boss Thomas Schaefer said on Wednesday at the launch in Kigali that the company would increase production as demand rose.

    “Deliveries come in and we put them into production as materials come in and as the demand comes in.

    “So if there is a customer who wants a few hundred Passats, we will put them in and build them,” Schaefer said.

    He said that the assembly plant used components shipped from South Africa to Rwanda via Kenya.

    Despite low levels of car ownership in Rwanda, Volkswagen hopes to both sell vehicles and use them in an Uber-like car-sharing system that would allow people to book rides using their smartphones. Some would also be sold into neighbouring nations.

    Volkswagen has started a community car-sharing service mainly aimed at companies in Kigali and plans to launch a ride-hailing offering later in the year.

    The Polo is the first model being made at the site and the German automaker plans to reach annual production of 5,000 cars in the first phase, by also building its Passat, Tiguan, Amarok and Teramont models.

    READ ALSO: Things Nigerian business will find attractive in Rwanda – Radisson Blu GM

    The 20 million dollars investment, which will create up to 1,000 jobs, is as an example of much needed spending by overseas firms in the nation, which receives one billion dollars in foreign aid and development assistance but is making business-friendly reforms.

    President Paul Kagame, who attended the event, said it was an important step for the country.

    “The facility undoubtedly represents a new chapter in Rwanda’s journey of economic transformation.

    “I know some might have found it hard to believe that ‘German cars’, as we are used to call them, could really be built in Rwanda.”

    Car ownership remains low in the nation of 12 million people with just over 200,000 private cars registered since 1997, according to the country’s tax collection body.

    But VW, which already builds in nearby Kenya, is expanding in Sub-Saharan Africa where it hopes it can tap into worldwide growth in demand for using apps to make journeys rather than buying vehicles.

    Global ride-sharing companies such as Uber have not yet moved into Rwanda meaning that Volkswagen will get ahead of the game by launching its service there ahead of major rivals.

    Most of the cars presently on the road are second-hand imports from countries such as Japan.

  • Missing British woman’s body identified in S/Africa

    The body of a British Woman who went missing in with her husband in Kwa-Zulu Natal Province in February has been positively identified, South African Police confirmed on Thursday.

    Rodney Saunders’ body was identified in April after it was found in a river, but the body of his wife Rachel had not been found until now.

    Tests on a number of unclaimed bodies in morgues revealed one to be that of the missing British woman, Lloyd Ramovha, spokesman for South Africa’s elite police unit told dpa.

    Read Also: Woman pours hot water on husband for allegedly neglecting children

    He did not say where that body was found or what state it was in.

    The couple’s case has fascinated Britain, especially because of the alleged kidnappers supposed links to the Islamic State group, due to a terrorist flag found in their possession.

    Police have been quick to downplay this link.

    Four suspects have since been arrested over the couples’ disappearance.

    Saunders, 74, and wife Rachel, 63, were both prominent botanists who had lived in South Africa for decades.

  • S/Africa prosecutor turns down Zuma’s request to delay court case

    South Africa’s national prosecutor has turned down a request by former president Jacob Zuma to delay a hearing over a 2.5 billion dollars arms deal, a spokesman for the prosecutor said on Tuesday.

    The case will resume on Friday.

    Read Also: Zuma’s son risks jail term over woman’s death

    Zuma faces 16 charges including fraud, racketeering and money laundering relating to a 1990s deal to buy European military hardware to upgrade South Africa’s post-apartheid armed forces.

    Zuma, who has denied any wrongdoing, was in court in April in a procedural appearance.

    NAN